Gardening isn’t just a spring activity, several tasks can still be done in your garden to keep you busy all summer long. Check out our summer garden care tips to keep your Ashburn garden happy and healthy this summer.
Watering
Although we’ve had plenty of rain in Ashburn this season, it’s always a good idea to keep a look out for water stressed plants. They’ll be the ones with turned down, curled, and limp leaves. A lawn is dry when you walk across it and the grass blades don’t pop right back up and you can see your footprints.
It’s best to water trees, shrubs, and small plants at ground level whenever possible. Soaker hoses are great for slowly watering your plants. It’s better to water heavily once a week than a little every day. This exposes roots to some dryness which makes the plants tougher and able to withstand the extremes throughout the year. If you have an irrigation system, now is the time to turn it on and run it on a regular schedule. Insect populations explode in the summer, especially after rain, so be sure to eliminate standing water in your yard. This could mean turning over empty plant pots and saucers, but could also involve better drainage around your home.
Pruning and Fertilizing
Rain affects your summer garden care routine even further by causing the growth of shrubs and trees. Most, but not all, shrubs can benefit from summer pruning to reduce the amount of leaves the plant maintains and to help them air out from the center which discourages fungal problems. Pruning benefits trees by making the leaf canopy thinner and more open to reduce the risk of storm winds pulling down the tree. Pruning can involve removal of dead flowers which usually results in another round of flowers. You can fertilize your annuals, herbs, and vegetables just about every time you water to keep them healthy and fed all summer long.
Sunrise Landscape and Design offers summer garden care services in Ashburn and across Northern Virginia, including garden maintenance and visits and tree and shrub care.
Contact us to schedule your summer garden care and maintenance. After all the work, don’t forget to sit back and enjoy your landscape on one of our cooler summer nights!